Clippers 'making everything' in rout of Rockets

LOS ANGELES – There are two distinct ways to view what happened in the Clippers’ 137-118 victory over Houston on Monday at Staples Center.

The focus can be on the good and all those points or the focus can be on the bad, and, all those other points.

The Clippers’ offense hummed right along against the Rockets’ defense, tying a Los Angeles Clippers’ record for points in a half with 78 in the first.

New additions J.J. Redick and Jared Dudley were stellar, and the ball zipped around on offense, finding open shooters on seemingly every possession.

“It was one of those games,” Coach Doc Rivers said. “We were making everything.”

The Clippers poured in 42 points in the first quarter, shooting a hair less than 70 percent from the field. The pace slowed just enough for the Clippers to score “only” 36 in the second. The Clippers added 26 in the third quarter and 33 in the fourth.

The maestro behind the performance, Chris Paul, had another outstanding effort. Paul recorded his fourth straight double-double, dishing out a season-best 17 assists to complement a 23-point game.

But while the Clippers were running up and down the court, scoring whenever they wanted, the Rockets heated up and stayed close.

Even with an off night from James Harden and foul trouble bothering Dwight Howard in his return to Staples Center, the Rockets avoided being blown out until midway through the fourth quarter thanks to even production from all nine players in Coach Kevin McHale’s rotation.

With the Clippers in constant discussion about the end goal, the “118” in the final score is probably more important. Scoring a lot of points can win games in the preseason, but giving up a lot loses them in the playoffs.

Rivers said his team couldn’t sustain this kind of offense, at least not “in the long run.”

Redick scored 15 of his 26 in the first quarter and Dudley added 15, with 10 in the first half. Griffin finished with 18 points, Jordan added 11, and the duo matched Howard and Omer Asik’s 16 rebounds.

Houston’s Omri Casspi led the Rockers with 19 points.

The Clippers will face the Rockets again Saturday, playing them in Houston to end a three-game trip that begins Wednesday in Orlando.

Knowing the line

As more ugly details trickled out of the Miami Dolphins’ locker room, culminating with the suspension lineman Richie Incognito for the harassment of second-year teammate Jonathan Martin, Rivers said he has never seen things that bad inside an NBA locker room.

But Rivers said he was once part of a team that had to have a meeting because players were becoming “pretty abusive.”

“Locker rooms are sacred. Guys don’t always have to all get along. We know that. Guys don’t. And we all know that,” Rivers said. “But there is a level of family, you know what I mean, and you just hope it’s never crossed.”

Willie Green has played for four organizations in 11 seasons. He said there’s an understood amount of light hazing that occurs with veterans and younger players, particularly rookies.

“There’s a line you just don’t cross. It doesn’t matter if it’s a rookie or who they are, it’s still people,” Green said. “You can ride them. You can have them do things for you like run errands, but there are lines you just don’t cross.”

In the Dolphins’ situation, those lines got crossed and then some, Green said.

“When it does get out of hand, someone has to step in and say, ‘That’s too much, fellas,’” he said. “There’s nothing wrong with making a rookie do some stuff, but you don’t cross that line.”

Battle tested

The playoffs seem like an eternity away, with the Clippers playing only four of 82 games.

But those four games, Matt Barnes said, have given the Clippers lessons for what’s likely to come.

“It’s going to prepare us for the long haul,” Barnes said before Monday’s game. “Nothing has been easy.”

The opener with the Lakers was emotion-filled, and the Clippers’ next two games came against rivals in Golden State and Sacramento.

Barnes said losing to the Lakers woke up the Clippers to the reality of the season.

“That was a good situation for us, believing and reading into all the hype,” he said. “You know, we have to come out and play this year. We’re a team with a target on our back, and we have to be ready everyone’s best punch.”